Gunpla Battle Club, Open!
“Hmmm…”
There was no way around it, Twilight was nervous. After spending days working on her submission to open a Gunpla Battle Club at Canterlot High, rereading and checking over everything again and again and again, she had finally worked up the nerve to submit it to Principal Celestia. The room was dead quiet save for the steady ticking of the clock on the wall, the occasional flipping of a page or a brief mumbling from Celestia as she scanned through the documents in front of her, having not said a word once she had started reading them.
It was taking all of Twilight’s willpower not to just cut her losses and run from the room in a blind panic. Breathe, Twilight, you can do this.
“Well…” Celestia finally spoke up, causing Twilight to jump slightly before the principal raised her head and smiled warmly at Twilight. “I must say, Ms. Sparkle, that this might be the most thorough submission I’ve ever read since I started working at Canterlot High.” Flipping through the pages again, she said, “Every ‘I’ has been dotted and every ‘T’ crossed, you included all the proper forms, among them a potential expenses table and you’ve even already included all the additional formwork to receive permission to use one of the school’s club rooms. I’m impressed.”
“Thank you, Principal Celestia,” Twilight replied, feeling some of her unease melt away and her shoulders relax at the principal's praise. “I really want to start this club up, so I made sure I followed everything to the letter.”
“That you did.” Closing the vanilla folder containing all the required forms, Celestia leaned forward in her seat and rested her elbow against her desk. “After going through it all, I have both good news and bad news. Which would you like first?”
Twilight gulped. This is it. “The good news first, please.”
“Very well. Given everything you’ve presented to me, as well as factoring in your current academic excellence, I see no reason why you wouldn’t be approved. In fact, I feel I can say with absolute certainty that your approval is very much a given.”
Twilight resisted the urge to leap up and cheer, instead merely showing her gratitude by smiling. “Thank you. Getting this club up and running means a lot to me. Umm… what’s the bad news then?”
“The bad news, if you can even call it that, is that I’m afraid it might take up to a week or longer until you’ll be able to get your club up and running properly, as I have to first make sure that the requested room is up to standards, put in a requisition order for one of these ‘GB Projectors” you listed and find a proper academic administrator to oversee all the club events. So I’m afraid you’ll have to wait a little bit longer until your…” Flipping open the folder again, Celestia read off the intended club name. “‘Gunpla Battle Club’ is allowed to open.”
“Oh.” Twilight breathed a small sigh of both relief and disappointment. While she had been expecting much worse, she was nonetheless bummed that it might take over a week before she could officially open the club itself. “I understand. Thank you for letting me know.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll try and make it so you won’t have to wait too long. Now, if there’s nothing else, you may go and celebrate. Congratulations, Ms. Sparkle.”
“Thank you.” Bowing politely, Twilight turned and left the room. As she exited Celestia’s office, she found her friends waiting outside, every one of them prepared to offer her their support.
“Well?” Sunset asked. “How did it go?”
“Pretty well, actually,” Twilight said with a smile. “It may take a while for the forms to be submitted and everything set up, but as of now the Gunpla Battle Club has the principal's approval.”
“Yay!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she ran up and hugged Twilight, the others joining suit moments later. “You know what this means right? It means it’s time to celebrate! My treat!”
“Pinkie, you don’t have to—” Twilight tried to argue, only to be shushed by Pinkie.
“No, no, no! I won’t take no for an answer! Now come on, before they run out of seats.” Grabbing Twilight’s arm, Pinkie proceeded to yank the poor girl towards the exit, the others following after them to ensure Twilight made it to the Sweet Shoppe in one piece.
Back in her office, Celestia glanced down at the file on her desk once more, grinning devilishly. “Oh, when I ask her she is going to flip…”
***
True to Celestia’s word, Twilight received her permission form by email in less than forty-eight hours, although that still left plenty to do before the club could officially open. With the help of her friends, Twilight administered flyers around the school advertising the opening of the ‘Gunpla Battle Club’, worked hard after school to clean out the requested club room, bring in enough tables and supplies for over a dozen people to build with and install the single GB Projector when it arrived. Twilight had also brought a box of her Gunpla from home and set them up on shelves in order to give the club some inspiration.
In what felt like no time at all, the day finally arrived. The minute the final bell rang, Sunset gathered up all her things and set off for the club room, ready to be there for her friend. What she found when she arrived at the club room, however, was the sight of Twilight pacing up and down the room, her face a mask of worry as she chewed on her nails and muttered, “This was a bad idea… a very bad idea…”
“Careful, or you’ll wear a groove into the floor if you keep pacing like that.”
Twilight jumped at the sound of Sunset’s voice, whipping around and adjusting her glasses before they could slide off her face. “S-Sunset! When did you get here?”
“Just now.” Closing the door behind her, Sunset walked up to Twilight and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Nervous?”
“How can I not be!?” Twilight shouted, slumping back into a chair. “I’ve invested the last week and a half into making this club, but what if nobody shows? I’ll be humiliated! Ostracized! Unable to show my face at school ever again!” Hiding her face in her hands, Twilight curled her legs up onto the chair, looking to all the world like she wanted to go crawl into the nearest hole. “I’m such a fool…”
“Don’t say that! Trust me, none of that will happen. Besides…” Kneeling down, Sunset flicked Twilight lightly in the forehead, smirking at Twilight grumbled in protest. “You already have me and the girls as official club members, so I’d say you’ve already managed a pretty good turn out right out the gate, huh?” Ruffling Twilight’s hair, Sunset was delighted when she saw a smile slowly form on Twilight’s face.
“You’re right,” Twilight said, a small bit of her confidence returning as she stood up. “It’s too early for me to give up. No matter what, I intend to see this through!”
“That’s the spirit!” Holding up her fist, Twilight brought her own hand up and fist-bumped Sunset’s, the two giggling at the silly gesture.
“Ah, I see you’ve already arrived.”
Both girls glanced towards the door at the sound of a new arrival, blinking at the woman standing in the doorway. “Vice Principal Luna?” Sunset said, having not expected her to appear. “What are you doing here?”
“I would think that would be obvious, Ms. Shimmer.” Strolling inside, Luna wheeled a cart loaded with several boxes behind her. “When Celestia told me of your plans to open a GB club, I knew I had to be the academic administrator overseeing the events of this club and its members. And thus, here I am.”
Twilight blinked. “You… like Gunpla Battle?”
“Does that surprise you, Ms. Sparkle?” Luna remarked, looking a touch upset as she placed her hands on her hips and frowned at the teen. “I may be a teacher, but I do have hobbies and interests outside of school and Gunpla just so happens to be one of them.”
“No, it’s just… uh…” Twilight shuffled her feet as she stuttered, “Please… please don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s just… I’m having a hard time imagining you of all people being into building Gunpla.”
“Perhaps this will serve to convince you then.” Turning towards the stack of boxes, Vice Principal Luna removed a small case and set it on the table, clicking the tabs open. Reaching inside, she pulled out a Gunpla model and set it on the table for Sunset and Twilight to see.
The cockpit was rounded at the front, a pair of vents placed on either side. The shoulders were squarish rather rounded and a pair of shields were strapped to both forearms. Attached to the back was a large aerial craft, a pod-shaped thruster behind each shoulder and a pair of large thrusters attached at the hips. Finally, the head displayed the V-fin that designated it as a Gundam.
Twilight’s eyes widened significantly at the sight of the Gunpla, rushing over and almost pressing her face up against it. “Is… is that… a Chaos Impulse Gundam?!”
“Mmhhm,” Luna confirmed, a confident smirk on her lips.
“But… but the Chaos Silhouette Pack was only a conceptual idea! It never showed up in the series and no kits were ever made of it! To build one you would have had to—”
“Kitbash and customize both an Impulse Gundam frame and a Chaos Gundam? Indeed. Took me the better part of a week to do so too and this little beauty managed to win me second place in a Builders Championship. The grand prize winner was a truly flawless Turn X Gundam made by a builder I greatly admire, so this Gunpla holds a special place in my heart.”
Twilight didn’t respond, still staring in total awe at the craftsmanship of the Gunpla.
“Twilight... you’re drooling,” Sunset said after an awkward pause.
“Am not!” Wiping at her mouth as she stood back up, Twilight looked away from the Gunpla and back at the vice-principal, the woman still wearing a confident smirk across her face. “W-well… I rescind my statement from before. You’ve clearly proven you have more than enough skills to oversee this club.”
“Thank you for your support, Ms. Sparkle.”
“Oh, please, just Twilight is fine, Vice-Principal Luna. Ms. Sparkle makes me sound like my mom.”
Luna seemed to consider this for a moment. “Very well, Twilight it is then. As such, I hope you would extend the same courtesy to me and simply refer to me as Luna. You as well, Ms. Shimmer, or would Sunset be better?”
“Sunset is fine, Luna.” Glancing over Luna’s shoulder, Sunset gestured towards the cart and the stack of boxes on top. “What's all this?”
“I’ll explain in a moment, but first, could you both do me the favor and show me one of your Gunpla? I wish to gauge your current skill level as builders so I know how to best assist.”
“Of course!” Reaching into her bag, Twilight withdrew her Star Nexus Gundam and placed it on the table for Luna to see.
“A Legend Gundam custom, a fine choice, Twilight.” Getting closer, Luna ran her gaze across the Gunpla with a scrutinizing eye. “Color choices are suitable and the paint is even and steady. No visible nubs that I can find and you have clearly put your heart and soul into this Gunpla. This model alone proves you are an experienced builder with a wealth of knowledge behind you.” Standing straight, she looked around the room at the Gunpla lining the shelves. “Just from a glance I can tell that all these Gunpla were constructed by your hand, am I wrong?”
“No, they’re all mine,” Twilight said, visibly blushing under Luna’s approval. “I thought it might help get others inspired.”
“Indeed, and the variety of Mobile Suits shows your knowledge of the various series. If I may ask, what was your first introduction to Gundam?”
“Gundam Seed.”
“Ah, a good starting point for many your age.” Nodding her head in approval once more, Luna turned her attention to Sunset. “Do you have a Gunpla I may see as well, Sunset?”
“I do, but don’t expect anything fancy like Twilight’s.” Reaching into her backpack, Sunset pulled out her Unicorn Gundam and set it next to Twilight’s.”I’m pretty new to this whole ‘Gunpla’ and ‘Gundam’ thing, so this is the first and only Gunpla I’ve built so far.”
Luna was silent as she stared at Sunset’s Gunpla. After a moment, she glanced back up at Sunset. “You say this is not only your first Gunpla but also the only one you’ve built so far?”
“Yeah…” Sunset scratched the back of her neck as she asked, “Is it that bad?”
“Hardly! If I didn’t know better I would say this was the work of a long time builder.”
Sunset blinked in surprise. “... Really?”
“Indeed. Your nub marks are practically nonexistent, any stickers are aligned perfectly and stuck smoothly and you’ve even taken the time to sand down the edges to a fine finish. Though it’s still a bit rough here and there, you’ve clearly done the Unicorn Gundam justice with this work, Sunset.”
“Uh… Thanks, Luna. I did my best and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher to help me,” Sunset said with a smirk, nudging Twilight lightly with her elbow. “Ain’t that right, miss ‘experienced builder’?”
“Su-Sunset!”
While the two friends giggled and laughed, Luna’s eyes remained locked onto the Unicorn Gundam Sunset had built, her face a neutral mask that left her emotions a mystery. Slowly, the fingers of her right hand curled up into a tightly clenched fist.
“Sunset.”
Sunset and Twilight both froze at the sudden sharpness of Luna’s voice. “Y-yes?” Sunset asked.
“There is a favor I wish to ask of you.”
Now Sunset was confused. “A favor? What kind of favor?”
Glancing up, Luna’s eyes met Sunset’s. “I wish to fight this Gunpla of yours.”
“What?!” Sunset shouted, aghast at the sudden offer. “But… but why? Twilight’s the better builder, you said so yourself.”
“Indeed I did, but I have already determined her level of skills and what kind of fight I would have if I squared off against her Gunpla. Yours though…” Once more, Luna turned her attention towards the Unicorn Gundam. “Yours is an enigma to me. You say that this is your first ever build, but I can see clear talent and care into its construction.” Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Luna further added, “We still have fifteen minutes before club officially starts, more than enough time for us to engage in a fight. What do you say, Sunset? Do you accept my challenge as a Gunpla Fighter?”
Sunset was stunned, unable to formulate a response as her brain tried to process the request. She glanced at Luna, then to her Gunpla, then back at Luna. After several seconds, a cocky smile appeared on Sunset’s face. “You’re on.”
An almost predatory smile work it’s way onto Luna’s lips. “Perfect.”
[Gunpla Battle, Combat Mode Startup. Model Damage Level Set to C. Please Set Your GB Base]
Within moments, the pair stood on either side of the small GB Projector the school had purchased for this very purpose. As both opponents docked their GP Base, the stream of blue particles gathered to form the appearance of a dense forest bordering a field of flowers.
[Field 03, Forest. Please Set Your Gunpla]
As Sunset set her Gunpla onto the base to scan, she looked over to see Luna step away from the projector for a moment to place her Chaos Impulse Gundam back into the case. “Aren’t you going to fight with that?”
“While the Chaos Impulse Gundam does hold significance to me, it is not the unit with which I fight. This is what you will be up against.” Pulling out a second Gunpla from the case, Luna set it onto the base to be scanned. The new model looks like something plucked straight out of a horror movie, massive gnarled bat wings spreading from it’s back, a large laser scythe clutched in its right hand and a shield in the shape of a coffin on its left. The armor paneling of the Gunpla had been painted a midnight blue overtop a pitch black coating, and the whole machine seemed to shine from a layer of topcoat. Just the sight of it caused a spike of fear to shoot up Sunset’s spine.
“A Wing era Gundam?” Twilight inquired from the sidelines.
“Indeed. Prepare yourself, Sunset, for you are about to face my personal Gunpla, the Deathscythe Nightmare.”
Sunset gulped as the cockpit formed around her, her hands trembling slightly as she gripped the controllers. Come on, get a grip, Sunset. It’s just a model, there’s nothing to be afraid of… Right?
[Battle Start!]
“Sunset Shimmer, Unicorn Gundam! Launching!”
“Luna, Deathscythe Nightmare! Time to hunt!”
The Unicorn Gundam was catapulted into the arena, soaring over the field of flowers before dropping down outside the edge of the forest. Sunset was on high alert, her senses primed to catch even the smallest sound or sight of Luna’s machine. A blanket of silence filled the air, only interrupted by the occasional chirping bird and the steady sound of tree branches rustling in the breeze.
Come on, show yourself!
A flash of green blades was her only warning before an energy buzzsaw sliced straight through a path of trees and hurtled towards her. Sunset was quick to raise her shield to intercept the weapon, the green blades grinding against her shield as she felt herself pushed back, the Gunpla’s feet digging grooves into the ground as a flurry of petals were thrown into the air. Pushing back with her shield, Sunset sent the weapon flying back, the weapon spinning through the air for a moment before crashing down onto the ground, the head of the Deathscythe’s signature weapon embedding into the ground.
From the other end of the decimated row of trees, a black shape lunged at Sunset from the shadows. Quickly raising her beam rifle, Sunset fired off a blast at the advancing figure, only for her eyes to widen as the figure easily evaded her shot like a living shadow. In a panic, Sunset fired one shot after another, many of them going wide and missing the figure by a mile as it advanced on Sunset at blinding speeds.
An arm shot out of the figure as it advanced, grabbing onto the end of the beam scythe and swinging it upward in an arc at the Unicorn Gundam, slicing straight through the barrel of Sunset’s beam rifle and leaping back as the weapon exploded in the Unicorn Gundam’s hand. As the smoke began to clear, the Unicorn Gundam’s right hand had been completely blown off, sparks shooting up its damaged right arm.
“I must commend you for blocking my initial attack, Sunset,” Luna said as she swung her scythe up and held it with both hands. “However, without your dominant hand, you are at a severe disadvantage.”
“Who said that was my dominant hand?” Sunset grinned as she lunged at the Deathscythe Nightmare, her damaged right arm ejecting a beam saber to be grabbed by her left hand in mid-air as she swung it down at Luna, who raised her weapon to catch the beam against the scythe’s staff.
“You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Luna said, letting out a hearty laugh as she pushed back with her scythe and swung it around in an arc to take off the opposing Gunpla’s head. Even while holding her weapon in her left hand, Sunset was still quick enough to raise her shield to intercept the blow, through the shield still suffered a deep gouge from the attack, sending Sunset reeling back. Seeing her chance, Luna drove her foot into the Unicorn Gundam’s chest and kicked it across the arena, the white Mobile Suit crashing through a row of trees before slamming into one of them and sliding to an abrupt stop, the Gunpla laying motionless as sparks arced across its form.
Sunset panted heavily, suddenly out of breath from that single encounter. The inside of her cockpit had changed from a healthy blue to a dark yellow, signifying her Gunpla had suffered significant damage. She’s strong, and it’s not just because of the quality of her Gunpla. Her reaction time, judgment and overall ability… “I’m outmatched… I can’t win...”
“I’m disappointed, Sunset,” Luna muttered as she stalked towards the downed Mobile Suit. “To give up so easily… perhaps I was wrong when I saw potential in you as both a builder and a fighter.”
Sunset was frozen, her fingers trembling as she found herself unable to move. Is there nothing I can do? Is the gap between us just too great? Should I just give up and save myself—
“Don’t give up, Sunset! You can do it!”
Sunset snapped up at the sound of a familiar voice from the sidelines “Twilight?”
Standing over her opponent, Luna raised her scythe to deliver the final blow. “This the end, Sunset.”
“Like hell it is!” With renewed strength, Sunset cried out as she jerked the controllers at the last moment, the Unicorn Gundam’s right arm swinging upward to take the attack as her left arm flung up and swung its beam saber in a wide arc, lopping off a chunk of shoulder armor from the Deathscythe and forcing it to jump back.
As the Unicorn Gundam climbed up onto its feet, Sunset clenched her fingers against the controllers, determination burning in her eyes. “Come on, Unicorn, let’s show her what we’re made of!” With a twist of her wrist, Sunset quickly scrolled through her abilities before landing on one marked “Special”. “Destroy Mode, engage!”
The Unicorn’s eyes lit up with a flash of light as a wave of energy coursed through the Gundam, sections of paneling along its body rising up to reveal the psycho-frame within that burned with a fierce radiance. The faceplate on the Unicorn Gundam shifted, revealing a more Gundam looking face beneath as the Gunpla’s horn split into a golden V-chest.
“So, you do have some fight left,” Luna remarked, grinning excitedly. “Excellent!” Charging forward, she swung her scythe at the Unicorn’s ribs, only for the Gunpla to leap out of the way with a sudden burst of speed, the blade cleaving through the tree behind her instead. Whipping around, Luna was unprepared for a sucker punch to the head, sending her and the Deathscythe reeling back as Sunset bore on her, swinging her beam saber and slashing it across the Deathscythe’s chest.
Despite the large gash across its chest, the Deathscythe refused to let up, pushing forward and slamming the head of its weapon into the Unicorn Gundam's face, rattling the machine as it stumbled back. But Sunset would not be so easily deterred either, digging her machine's feet into the dirt as she pressed forward and swung her beam saber with reckless abandon. A cyclone of flower petals swirled around the pair in a cascade of color as the two machines continued to trade blows, neither fighter willing to give the other an inch.
Extending her wings, Luna shot into the air, hovering over the battlefield for a moment before sweeping down like a bird of prey as she held her scythe ready to swing. Seeing this, Sunset prepared to face her head on, her own weapon raised to retaliate. In the span of blink, the two machines met in a flash of blades, the Deathscythe coming to a grinding halt several feet behind the Unicorn. Neither machine made a move, a breeze blowing through the arena.
Then, the Unicorn Gundam slumped forward, its beam saber slipping from its hand as a massive gouge across the Gunpla’s chest sparked for a moment before the machine exploded in a ball of fire.
[Battle Ended! Winner, Deathscythe Nightmare!]
As the holograms faded, Sunset’s arms slumped against her side. “I lost.”
“Often times, we learn more from failure than we do from success, something I think you would know better than anyone, Sunset,” Luna said with a smile, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do not let it disparage you, for it is clear that what you lack is the experience of both a potential builder and a fighter, experience that can be learned with time. I ask you then, Sunset, will you let this defeat define you, or will you plow ahead?”
“Like you even have to ask.” Tilting her head up, Sunset smiled as she looked Luna in the eyes and said, “I’m going to want a rematch someday.”
“I look forward to it.”
A wave of applause welcomed the two fighters, the pair glancing over to find they weren’t as alone as when they had started. Behind Twilight stood a small group of people, among them Sunset could pick out the faces of Apple Bloom, Vinyl, Flash, Sandalwood, Microchip, Derpy, Cloudkicker, and even Rainbow and the rest of her friends, among several others.
“It would seem we have a bit of an audience,” Luna remarked with a chuckle.
“When did you all get here?” Sunset asked incredulously.
“We all showed up while you and Vice-Principal Luna were duking it out,” Rainbow explained. “Which, might I add, was freaking awesome!” Cheers of confirmation came from several other members of the group.
“It would appear that everyone is here, so we should get started right away.” Walking over to the cart, Luna grabbed the topmost box and moved it to a nearby table. “And what would a Gunpla club be without any Gunpla to build?” Opening the box, Luna began to pull out several models kits and set them one after another on the table.
“Are all these filled with Gunpla kits?” Twilight asked. “Where did—”
“The result of having a comfortable disposable income and not enough free time. Better they get built here than gathering dust at home. Pick any one you like and we can begin.” Holding out her arms, Luna proudly proclaimed, “And welcome, everyone, to the official opening of the Canterlot High Gunpla Battle Club!”
Next Time: Samurai and Demons, Descend!